Soldier's Return
by HeeroWZero
Summary: A certain Gundam pilot has come out of the depths of the shadows he lives in to join his comrades. But all is not well as they soon find out. He has been tracking a new threat and things are about to get ugly. The prequel to Protector! Mild language.
1. Shadows

# **Soldier's Return**

**[By HeeroWZero][1]  
**

* * *

A dark figure moved silently down the darkened, metal hallway. The dull sound of his footsteps was barely audible as he moved quickly and precisely, avoiding the laser tripwires and the eyes of the guards that were no doubt looking for him.

He paused at a three-way intersection, noticing a surveillance camera that was still active. A frown crossed his face. He tapped twice on the screen of the small computer module attached to his left arm. The screen blinked to life and within seconds he had hacked into the security grid. With every camera from his position to the hangar shutdown he could proceed with his mission. He smiled faintly, but distant voices behind him snapped him out of his self-congratulations. Quickly, he continued on his way.

-------------------------------------------------------  
  


The figure halted a few yards short of the hangar. The light filtering through the space below the doors told him there were at least one, more likely several people inside. He quickly brought up a map of the hangar on his wrist computer. The control room was just to the left inside the doors. He could probably sneak in unnoticed, but he checked for another way in just the same. His map showed that if he went one hall to his left he could duck into a ventilation duct that came out over the control room. He decided that would be his method of entry.

-------------------------------------------------------

After crawling through and replacing the grate on the vent, the mysterious figure made his way to the vent directly over the control room. Seeing nobody in the room he dropped down silently and peered through the large, glass windows into the hangar. There were about a dozen mobile suits lining the walls, various repair and diagnostic automatons, and only two technicians. That would make his mission much easier. As he watched, one tech walked to the other. It looked like they were talking, but he couldn't make out the words. He cracked the door open just enough to hear the conversation.

"-to do this now. I'm going to get some sleep. Can you lock up?"

"Yeah, sure thing. I'm gonna finish up the repairs to this actuator first. Shouldn't take long. You go ahead and get out of here."

"Alright, thanks. See ya in the morning then."

The control room door closed silently as the technician walked out of the hangar. The dark figure smiled. Everything seemed to be going his way. He would finish his mission ahead of schedule.

Looking around the control room, he found a dirty, blue technician uniform and put it on over his stealthy black attire, which was now covered in dust and who knows what else from crawling around in the ventilation duct. He put the cap on, pulling it down over his eyes, and made his way toward the lone technician.

The technician turned his head when he heard footsteps behind him, but just smiled and went back to work.

"Hey, I thought you left."

He got no response, but finished what he was doing. He stood, wiping his hands on a rag and admiring his work.

"There. This one's ready to go."

"Thanks."

The technician turned at the sound of the unfamiliar voice.

"Hey! You're not - augh!"

A swift kick to the groin and a precise chop to the base of the neck sent the technician sprawling to the floor, unconscious. The figure quickly shed the uniform and climbed up to the open hatch of the mobile suit. After one last look around, he climbed in and brought up the main systems. The suit whirred to life and slowly started for the exit.

*Let's see what this ugly thing can do.*

Secrecy didn't matter so much anymore, so he lowered a beam cannon toward the closed door and fired. The resulting explosion rocked the entire base. In seconds alarms were sounding and sprinklers were raining down on the fires in the hangar.

Once the smoke cleared, the pilot could see the cold blackness of space waiting for him.

*Hmmm. Not bad.*

On the viewscreen to his right, he could see armed guards in space suits rush into the hangar. He paid no attention to them. They were no threat to him. The mobile suit's engines fired and rocketed into space. When he was at a safe distance the pilot took out a remote detonator and pressed the button. Explosions ripped through the base and tore the old resource satellite to shreds. The figure grinned widely as the base was turned to dust.

*Mission accomplished. Let's just hope the next one is that easy.*

He set the autopilot and relaxed in his seat. He'd put the suit through a few stress tests later, but now he needed some rest. He laced his fingers behind his head and closed his eyes as the autopilot steered him toward the Earth.

* * *

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gundam Wing. If I did, I wouldn't have to put this disclaimer here. It is copyrighted by people who have a lot more money than I do. This was written for fun and for the fans of the series. All ideas concerning the storyline are mine.

NOTES: OK, so I never actually mention what the suit looks like, but it _is_ ugly. Maybe I'll do a sketch if I have time. In one of the later parts I do give an idea of what it might look like, but nothing real specific. Just use your imagination. 

Comments and criticisms are welcome. Please send them to **[HeeroWZero@hotmail.com][1]** and be sure to include your name so I can get back to you. Thanks for reading!

[**Part 2 **][2]

   [1]: mailto:HeeroWZero@hotmail.com
   [2]: SoldiersReturn2.htm



	2. Rumors

# **Soldier's Return**

**[By HeeroWZero][1]  
**

* * *

"And I've heard rumors that you are married to a beautiful actress, but that doesn't make it true."  
  


"What?! You dare insult me?"  
  


This was pointless. The meeting was going nowhere. Relena covered her mouth to hide a yawn as the two delegates at the far end of the table continued their argument. They had been snapping at each other on and off for the past hour and a half, but now they seemed to be past the breaking point of their patience with the other. The verbal skirmish might have continued indefinitely had the Deputy Trade Advisor not intervened.  
  


"Gentlemen, please. Let's keep to the matter at hand."  
  


"Fine. But my narrow-minded colleague here doesn't seem to think it is possible that Heero Yuy could be a part of this new threat. That boy has been nothing but trouble since-"  
  


At the mention of Heero Yuy, Relena saw her brother's face twitch. He was already angry and this just seemed to push him over the edge. She knew what was coming and lifted her coffee off the table just before Zechs stood and pounded his fist into the long, oak table.  


  
"Boy?! You would call Heero Yuy a _boy_? He is the most accomplished person I have ever met. He is young; I will concede that to you. But while you were sitting here on your ass complaining that something needed to be done to stop the war, he was out there sacrificing his humanity and risking his life to make the dream of peace a reality. How _dare_ you call him a boy? Heero Yuy is more of a man than you or I could ever hope to be. Don't you _ever_ call him a boy."  
  


The delegate was shocked, but not enough to keep him from making the mistake of trying to continue.  
  


"But what about-"  
  


"Myself and the other Preventers will look into the matter. It is no longer your concern. You just worry about covering your own ass, Michaelson. Now get out of my sight. All of you."  
  


"But-"  
  


"It wasn't a suggestion! Leave!"  
  


The delegates and representatives quickly packed their things and scurried out the door, leaving Zechs and Relena alone in the large conference room. Relena stood behind her brother and put a hand on his shoulder.  
  


"You did it again, Miliardo."  
  


"Yes, I know. I'm sorry. I just can't stand that man and his constant arguing."  
  


Relena chuckled at her brother's statement. It was true that Arthur Michaelson wasn't a favorite among many people. He was constantly picking fights and she suspected he had a drinking problem. She wasn't even sure what he did exactly. All she knew was that he was some kind of official for the Preventers. Wisely, she avoided thinking or talking about him further.  
  


"I never thought the say would come when you would defend Heero like that."  
  


Zechs smiled and looked out the tall windows at the cloudless afternoon sky.  
  


"Heero Yuy. He wasno, _is_ a good man. The best mobile suit pilot I have ever met, even if he was lacking in people skills. He will always have my respect and admiration."  
  


"Then these rumors about him leading an uprising?"  
  


Zechs shook his head.  
  


"Not his style. He fought too hard and lost too much to gain this peace. He wouldn't just throw that away and start fighting again. Still, I'm not completely certain. I can't rule it out."  
  


Relena frowned and stared out the window. She knew that Heero would never do the things people were saying he did. She knew him too well to believe the rumors. But then, deep in a corner of her mind, she too had her share of doubts. After all, he was trained to be a soldier. And a perfect soldier at that. Fighting was all he knew and it would be very difficult to change that. She shook her head to clear her mind of the thought and turned to her brother.  
  


"Well, now that our day has ended early, why don't we go get something to eat?"  
  


"That sounds like a great idea."  
  


Just then, an announcement was made over the public address system.  
  


"Colonels Zechs and Une, please report to the situation room. Colonels Zechs and Une to the situation room."  
  


Zechs looked up at the offending speaker in the ceiling. He closed his eyes and sighed.  
  


"Looks like lunch will have to wait."  
  


"Mind if I tag along?"  
  


"Sure. Why not? It's probably nothing anyway. We'll get some food afterward."  
  


Zechs put his arm around his sister's shoulders and the pair walked to the situation room.

* * *

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gundam Wing. It is copyrighted by people who have a lot more money than I do. This was written for fun and for the fans of the series. All ideas concerning the storyline and new characters are mine.

NOTES: If you've read Protector already, you've heard the name Michaelson before. This is the same guy. Kind of a jerk, huh? Well, he's supposed to be. 

Comments and criticisms are welcome. Please send them to **[HeeroWZero@hotmail.com][1]** and be sure to include your name so I can get back to you. Thanks for reading!

[** Part 1**][2]

[**Part 3 **][3]

   [1]: mailto:HeeroWZero@hotmail.com
   [2]: SoldiersReturn1.htm
   [3]: SoldiersReturn3.htm



	3. Trouble

# **Soldier's Return**

**[By HeeroWZero][1]  
**

* * *

"Zechs, you're here. Good. Oh. And good afternoon to you, Miss Relena."  
  


"Good afternoon, Miss Une. So, what's going on?"  
  


"Actually, I'm not sure. I just got here myself."  
  


"Colonel Zechs, Colonel Une. Over here."  
  


A young radar officer called to them from his station. The three made their way over to him and stood behind his chair as he explained what was happening.  
  


"About half an hour ago we picked up a metal object on the radar entering the atmosphere. We thought it might be some of the debris in space falling back to Earth, but we put a track on it anyway. We've checked several times and it is not burning up as we expected."  
  


"So what is it then? Some kind of meteor?"  
  


"No, ma'am. It seems to be making course corrections. It's headed straight here, for the Sanc Kingdom. Low orbit satellite imaging shows that it could me a mobile suit."  
  


"What?! A mobile suit?"  
  


"Yes, sir. And if it is a mobile suit, it's not like any that we have on record."  
  


"How long until it gets here?"  
  


"We estimate just under fifteen minutes, sir."  
  


"Alright. I'll go check it out."  
  


"How will you do that, Miliardo? Miliardo?"  
  


He never heard Relena's question. Zechs was already out the door and racing down the hall. He pressed a button on his watch to activate his comlink.  
  


"Maiser?"  
  


There was a brief pause before the chief mechanic answered.  
  


"Yes, Colonel Zechs?"  
  


"Is he ready?"  
  


"Yes, sir. We're just finishing the refueling process now. We should be done by the time you get here."  
  


"Thanks. I'll be right there."  
  


He tapped the button again and continued down the hall, nearly plowing into a secretary with an armload of papers. A smile crossed his lips as a thought entered his mind.  
  


*In all the time Relena has known about Noin keeping mobile suits in the Sanc Kingdom, she never once thought to look for the hangar. It's been kept a secret for so long. But I suppose Lady Une will tell her now. We can't hide it anymore, but I'm grateful our secrecy has lasted this long.*  


  
Zechs ran into an elevator and quickly closed the door before anyone else could enter. He opened a panel and punched in a security code that took him to a level below the basement archives. When the door opened, he was greeted with the familiar smell of metal, grease, and rocket fuel. He quickly made his way past the technicians toward Maiser, shedding his long coat along the way. His friend saw him coming and ran toward him, grabbing the coat from his hands.  
  


"He's all ready, sir. Just hop on in and get moving."  
  


"Thank you, Maiser."  
  


He quickly rode an elevator up to the metal walkway above him and stepped through the open hatch of Tallgeese III. Zechs strapped himself in while simultaneously bringing the systems online. In less than a minute, the hatch was closed and the walkway retracted. A green flash from the eyes and Tallgeese was moving toward the launch area. The mobile suit leaned over, verniers opened, and was instantly speeding down the launch chute. Outside, a hatch in the side of the cliff opened and the Tallgeese flashed out a second later.  
  


In the situation room, Relena watched as a new blip appeared on the radar with the designation 'TG3' floating beside it. She smiled, knowing exactly what it was.  
  


"That sneaky little"  
  


Lady Une also saw it, her lips curling in a smile. She knew what Zechs would want her to do.  
  


"Relena, I have something to show you."

* * *

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gundam Wing. It is copyrighted by people who have a lot more money than I do. This was written for fun and for the fans of the series. All ideas concerning the storyline and new characters are mine.

NOTES: None for this section. 

Comments and criticisms are welcome. Please send them to **[HeeroWZero@hotmail.com][1]** and be sure to include your name so I can get back to you. Thanks for reading!

[** Part 2**][2]

[**Part 4 **][3]

   [1]: mailto:HeeroWZero@hotmail.com
   [2]: SoldiersReturn2.htm
   [3]: SoldiersReturn4.htm



	4. Encounter

# **Soldier's Return**

**[By HeeroWZero][1]  
**

* * *

Tallgeese III streaked fast and low over the serene landscape of the Sanc Kingdom. In the cockpit, Zechs' mind was racing just as fast.

*Who or what is this thing? Is it really a mobile suit? I wonder if this has anything to do with the new threat. But then, why send only one?*

The beep of the communications system brought him back to reality.

"Colonel, you're getting close. Can you see it yet?"

"No, not yet. Wait. There it is."

On the horizon, he could make out an object heading his way. He increased the power to the engines after making a slight change in his heading. As he got closer, he could make out the outline of a mobile suit.

*So it _is_ a mobile suit. And a new model, too. Damn.*

The Tallgeese pulled up and stopped, hovering in the air, mega cannon poised and ready.

"This is Colonel Zechs Merquise of the Preventers hailing the unidentified mobile suit. Stop where you are and identify yourself."

All he heard was static on the comm system and the mobile suit was still moving.

"Headquarters, I'm not getting a response. I'll proceed to fire a warning shot."

The mega cannon let out a small burst of energy that narrowly missed the other suit. At the same time, Zechs extended the heat rod and fired it up, moving toward the nameless suit.. Then, the comm system crackled to life.

"Zechs, I'd appreciate it if you didn't shoot that thing at me."

*What? That voice. It sounds familiar, but I can't place a name or a face.*

"Unidentified suit, transmit identification immediately."

"I can't. Comm system is flaky. I can barely manage this tight-beam link. I'll explain later. Just get me to your headquarters."

Zechs thought a moment before answering.

"Very well, but you will do _exactly_ as I say."

---------------------------------------

"So where are we going, Miss Une?"

"If I told you now it might ruin the surprise, though I'm fairly certain you'd be surprised anyway."

"I already know that there is a mobile suit hangar under the basement. That can't surprise me."

"It's not so much that it's there, but rather what is in it that is the issue."

Relena was silent as they stepped onto the elevator. She was thinking of all the things that might be in the hangar. It certainly wasn't large enough to hold many suits, so there couldn't be an army down there. Then, something popped into her mind.

*Could it be...no. That's not possible.*

She hadn't realized the elevator was moving and when the doors opened, Relena realized she was correct. She moved slowly out of the elevator and onto the walkway suspended thirty feet above the hangar floor. Her hand came up to cover her mouth and her heart threatened to pound right out of her chest. Even though she was seeing it, she still couldn't believe it. Standing right in front of her were Noin's white Taurus and four Gundams. Deathscythe Hell's wings were open, revealing the menacing form underneath. She could see Duo's legs hanging out of the cockpit as he worked on something inside. Next to the Deathscythe stood Heavyarms. Trowa was at its feet taking inventory on the dozens of crates, presumably explosives. Quatre was perched on Sandrock's right shoulder reading from a wiring diagram. Beside Sandrock was Wufei's Nataku. The dragon fans had been removed and lay on the ground in obvious need of repair. Besides Noin's white Taurus, there were two more empty places. She knew one was for her brother's Tallgeese and presumed the other was for Wing Zero, but she couldn't see Heero's Gundam anywhere.

Lady Une led her down the steps and onto the main floor. She was saying something, but Relena didn't hear her. She was still in shock. The Gundams weren't supposed to be around anymore. They had been destroyed after the incident with Mariemaia and that Barton man.

"Relena? Are you listening to me?"

"Huh? Oh. No, I wasn't. Where...where is Heero's Gundam. Where is Wing Zero?"

"Over there."

Lady Une pointed to a darkened corner of the hangar where there stood a large structure covered in a dark blue shroud. Relena slowly made her way over and stepped under the shroud, Lady Une following right behind her.

"It's waiting here if he decides to come back."

Relena smiled as she looked up at the towering form of Wing Zero.

"When, Miss Une...when he comes back. I know he will. I can feel it in my heart."

Lady Une saw the look of longing in Relena's eyes and chose that moment to make her silent exit so that Relena could be alone with her thoughts.

Even in the dim light under the shroud, Relena could clearly make out the features of the machine before her. She felt the cold, smooth metal under her fingers as she ran her hands along the angel-like wings.

*Where is he now? Where is my angel? What is he doing? Does he think about us? Does he think about me? I wonder...*

Relena closed her eyes and saw Heero in her mind.

~ Music was playing and she was dancing with this mysterious boy named Heero.

"Heero. I know too much about you. Are you still gonna kill me?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't want to die with no answers. But now it's different. Now I know how you feel when you fight."

"Huh?"

"And that's because...I'm on your side now."

"Huh? On my side?" ~

That was one of the few times she'd been close to him and been able to surprise him. Afterwards, he hadn't been able to kill her, no matter how many opportunities he'd had to do so.

Her mind drifted back again. This time she could see him preparing to fight her brother for the last time. She didn't want him to go because she feared he would never come back. All of a sudden he was so close to her again. She had only to lean forward and she could have kissed him, but she held back. If she had kissed him, he would have been too distracted from his mission and would certainly not have come back, even if he managed to survive the fight. She decided to leave well enough alone and trust him to return. And he had. He'd come back that time and when Dekim Barton threatened to rip apart the fragile peace between the Earth and the colonies. This time would be no different. Heero would return.

Relena brought herself out of her reveries and slowly ambled back toward the other Gundams. She stopped when she heard the sound of engines behind her and turned when the faint whine became and almost deafening roar. Coming through an entry tunnel was a very large, very ugly mobile suit followed by her brother's Tallgeese. The two suits came to a stop and shutdown their engines. The hatch of the Tallgeese opened and Zechs exited quickly, standing on the edge of the hatch waiting for the other pilot. Just in case, he glanced down at his belt and made sure he had his gun handy. When the other hatch finally opened and the other pilot emerged, he knew he would not need it. as a smile came to his face.

* * *

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gundam Wing. It is copyrighted by people who have a lot more money than I do. This was written for fun and for the fans of the series. All ideas concerning the storyline and new characters are mine.

NOTES: OK, the Gundams I described are the 'custom' Gundams from Endless Waltz. If you haven't seen that yet, you should do so or at least know what they look like. Oh, and every time I say 'Tallgeese' I mean Tallgeese III. It's just easier to write that way, plus it sounds better. Relena's first little flashback there is from 'Party Night' and the second is from 'Take-Off Into Confusion'...episodes 1 and 48.

Comments and criticisms are welcome. Please send them to **[HeeroWZero@hotmail.com][1]** and be sure to include your name so I can get back to you. Thanks for reading!

[** Part 3**][2]

[**Part 5 **][3]

   [1]: mailto:HeeroWZero@hotmail.com
   [2]: SoldiersReturn3.htm
   [3]: SoldiersReturn5.htm



	5. Return

# **Soldier's Return**

**[By HeeroWZero][1]  
**

* * *

"Heero!"

Relena's legs carried her as fast as they could toward the strange mobile suit when she saw the pilot step out and ride a cable down from the cockpit. Heero's feet had barely touched the ground when Relena barreled into him, sending them both tumbling to the ground. She held him firmly, as if he was going to vanish into thin air.

"I knew you would come back! I just knew you would."

She squeezed him so tightly that Heero thought she was going to crack his ribs.

"Would you mind letting me breathe?"

"I'm sorry, Heero. I'm just so happy to see you, that's all."

Relena sat up and smiled down at him and Heero actually smiled back, as faint as it was. Zechs gave them a hand in getting up and Heero brushed at his still dusty clothes. Meanwhile, the other Gundam pilots had come by to see what all the excitement was about.

"Heero!"

Duo rushed at him sending him back to the floor.

"Not you too...get off me you braided idiot!"

Duo stood up and held out his hand to help Heero up. Heero took it, pulled himself up, and pushed Duo back to the ground with a sly grin on his face.

"Heero, it's good to see you again."

He shook Quatre's hand while Trowa offered a rare smile and a nod. Wufei gave him a hard pat on the back.

"I'll never figure out how or why you keep coming back, Yuy."

"Neither will I."

After exchanging a few more greetings, Heero finally noticed the Gundams.

"Wait a minute. I thought..."

Lady Une stood at his shoulder and explained.

"Zechs and I thought it might be a good idea to reconstruct them, in secret of course. That way nobody knows they exist, but they are around should another...incident...occur. Howard helped us salvage the remains and also installed a system similar to the Deathscythe's hyper jammers and active cloak on all of them. That way if we ever do need to use them..."

"That was a wise decision. I see you didn't bother to rebuild Wing Zero. Can't say I blame you."

Behind him, Zechs chuckled softly.

"Maiser, hit the switch, would you?"

"My pleasure, sir!"

The young mechanic walked to a control panel and pressed one of the buttons. Heero watched as the lights in one of the dark corners flickered on, shining down on a blue cover, which dropped away to reveal his Gundam.

"Zero."

Heero smiled ever so slightly and walked slowly forward. He reached out and pressed his hand to the cold metal in much the same manner as Relena had earlier. Someone put a hand on his shoulder and her turned to face Zechs.

"You look tired. Why don't you get some rest?"

"There's too much I need to tell you about-"

Zechs put his hand up to stop him.

"You can tell us later. I'm sure whatever it is can wait until you've had at least a few hours of sleep."

Heero looked Zechs straight in the eye. What he saw was sincerity, as if the man actually cared about his well-being. He suddenly found himself overcome with exhaustion and decided that Zechs' idea wasn't so bad after all. The other Gundam pilots went back to their work while Heero, Relena, Lady Une, and Zechs got into the elevator, heading for the third floor where there were a few residential suites. Normally they were used for visiting dignitaries and some were actually occupied for that purpose, but there were a few empty rooms left. Coming down the hall they spotted Noin, who had been visiting one of the delegates who was an old friend of hers. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped when she saw Heero.

"Heero? Is that...is it...really you?"

She stepped closer and a broad smile appeared on her face when she saw that it was indeed him.

"How did..when did you...are you going to..."

Noin trailed off, her voice badly betraying her surprise. Zechs stopped her from making a complete fool of herself.

"Now, Lu...don't go bombarding him with questions. He just got here and needs to rest. Let's leave him be for now, alright hon?"

Heero looked at Zechs, showing a small of amount of his surprise and confusion on his visage.

*Lu? Hon? That's not like him. What am I missing?*

Then he looked at Noin. More specifically, at her hands. He saw something there he hadn't seen before and something in his mind clicked on like a switch.

*I see. An engagement ring. Guess it makes sense now.*

Noin looked at Heero, a bit puzzled by his comment. Zechs just smiled and turned to his sister.

"Do you think you can handle finding a room for Heero, Relena?"

"Of course I can, Miliardo."

Though she did not show it, Relena's eyes glowed as if to say a silent thank you to her older brother.

"Well then, we'll see you in a few hours, Heero. For now, just get some rest. You sure look like you need it."

Zechs paused and smiled.

"It's nice to have you around again."

"Thank you."

Heero and Relena continued down the hall while Zechs, Noin, and Lady Une waited until they turned the corner.

"What did he mean by 'congratulations'?"

"You mean you don't get it?"

Noin turned to Lady Une and shrugged her shoulders. Zechs shook his head in disappointment and grabbed her arm, holding her hand in front of her face. She grinned sheepishly.

"Oh. Hmmm, seems you were right. Nothing escapes him. Well, other than Relena it would seem."

Zechs grinned and turned back to look at the hall where his sister and probably the greatest mobile suit pilot to ever live and breathe had disappeared. The smile on his lips took a downward turn.

"Now that he's here, Relena will certainly be much happier. I'm grateful for that...it's one less thing for me to worry about. However, the reason for his being here is not sitting well with me at all."

The two women standing to his left nodded in silent agreement and turned to walk with him back to the elevators.

* * *

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gundam Wing. It is copyrighted by people who have a lot more money than I do. This was written for fun and for the fans of the series. All ideas concerning the storyline and new characters are mine.

NOTES: That was interesting, huh? What do you mean 'no'? Hmmm....looks like things are getting more complex.

Comments and criticisms are welcome. Please send them to **[HeeroWZero@hotmail.com][1]** and be sure to include your name so I can get back to you. Thanks for reading!

[** Part 4**][2]

[**Part 6 **][3]

   [1]: mailto:HeeroWZero@hotmail.com
   [2]: SoldiersReturn4.htm
   [3]: SoldiersReturn6.htm



	6. Reunion

# **Soldier's Return**

**[By HeeroWZero][1]  
**

* * *

Heero set his duffel bag on a chair and looked around as Relena led him into one of the lavish staterooms. The walls were adorned in a deep red with gold accents. On the white stone mantle of the fireplace were a pair of brass candlesticks and several fresh cut flower arrangements. At the foot of the four post bed was a wooden chest with an intricately carved lid. Thankfully, the only tings he really needed were right next to the bed: a desk, a lamp, and a chair. Relena smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"It's a bit overdone, but then you have to consider the types of people that normally use these rooms."

"So long as there's a desk and a bed I'll be fine."

"Thought you'd say something like that. Well, you also have a private bath next to the closet there if you need to take a shower or whatever. I assume you'll want some clean clothes to wear."

Heero looked at her quizzically for a moment before he realized he was still wearing his dusty black jumpsuit. He probably looked like hell.

"Well, I'll leave you to get some rest or whatever else you need to do. We'll probably be heading back to the estate in an hour or two, so don't get too settled. And I'll try to get some clothes for you."

Relena started for the door, wanting to leave before she did something embarrassing like tackle him again.

"Relena?"

"Yes, Heero?"

He opened his mouth to say something, but put his hands in his pockets and looked down at the floor for a few seconds before bringing his gaze back up to meet hers.

"Thank you."

Relena smiled and cocked her head.

"Not at all! It's nice to have you around again."

With that, she left the room and closed the door behind her, leaving Heero alone with his thoughts.

*Thank you? Where did that come from? Why'd I say that? Because she did something nice for me, that's why.*

He frowned and grabbed his bag emptying his laptop and a small notebook onto the desk as he contemplated his situation.

*I can complete any mission with ruthless efficiency. I can pilot a mobile suit better than anyone, living or dead. I've survived self-detonation and mastered the ZERO system. All the things I can do and I can't understand her _or_ my feelings. Why? Whenever she's near I act strangely. What is it I feel for her? Is it respect? Friendship? Could it even be...love? Hmph...that's what Duo would say, but what is it really? What's happening to me?*

Heero left that train of thought for another time and sat down at the desk. He needed to finish writing up his report on that new mobile suit, the Scorpio. He already had months of research typed up and now he just needed to add his findings on the combat abilities of the suit.

After twenty minutes of typing he finished the report. He'd outlined everything he knew in the thirty-odd page document: height, weight, armor type, weapons, manufacturing procedures, locations of assembly plants and raw material warehouses, and his combat evaluation. Heero also tacked on the few pictures, blueprints, and other images he'd been able to gather. All in all, he decided it wasn't too bad for nearly nine months of work.

Heero wheeled around at the sound of a door opening behind him and involuntarily reached for his gun. He relaxed just a bit when he saw Relena enter with a stack of clothes.

"These have been sitting in a cabinet in my office, so I don't know how good they're going to smell, but they're bound to be better than what you're wearing now."

She handed him a pair of slightly faded blue jeans and a black turtleneck. Heero looked them over and a realization came to him.

*They're mine.*

Heero glanced questioningly at Relena as he held the shirt out in front of him.

"Been expecting me?"

Relena's soft smile disappeared, replaced by a frown as her gaze hit the floor.

"Everyday for the past nine months."

Heero nearly dropped the shirt. Had he been drinking anything, he would have spit it across the room.

*Huh? How long? What the hell for?! Idiot...you know why.*

"You don't know how much we've missed you."

Her tear-filled eyes met his. She saw shock and a bit of disbelief hidden behind the Prussian blue.

"You don't know how much _I_ have missed you."

Her heart and mind could take no more. She threw herself at him and latched onto his shoulders, closing her eyes and crying into his chest. Heero stood still and ever quiet. Unsure of what to do, he hesitantly put his arms around her shoulders, supporting her weight as she continued to cry. They stood together for nearly five minutes before Relena regained control of her emotions. Her tears now came in small trickles down her cheeks as she composed herself. Heero did not dare move or speak until she did.

"I'm sorry, Heero. It's just...I...I've missed you so much. I almost can't believe you're really standing here. Please tell me you're real. Tell me this isn't a dream. I couldn't bear waking up from it."

Heero searched for something to say. He rarely said much of anything to begin with. Trying to calm and comfort someone, let alone Relena, was way out of his realm of knowledge.

"I'm...here. I'm real."

It was all he could manage before his throat dried up. His chest was starting to tingle and his eyes began to sting. His hand brushed across his cheek as he felt something float across his face. When he looked at his fingers, he noticed they were wet. He wiped his face again with the same results. Heero stared at his hand, a puzzled expression on his face.

*What' this? Tears? I'm crying? No way. Why would I be crying? There's no reason for it. Damn it! What the hell is going on?*

Relena found the strength to stand without needing to be held up and took a step back from him. As she wiped at her own face, she noticed Heero's cheeks were also slightly damp. Despite her curiosity, she decided not to inquire.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you alone now."

Heero only nodded as she left again. As soon as the door closed, he practically ran to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. After examining his face, he decided Relena had guessed he'd been crying, though she was probably just as clueless as he as to why."

*Then again, she does understand feelings and emotions better than I do. Maybe she does know, even if I don't.*

----------------------------------------

Outside his room, Relena was leaning back against the door, one arm fitted across her middle and the opposite hand covering her mouth. She was lost deep in thoughts of Heero.

*Was he actually crying? Does a perfect soldier even know _how_ to cry? I must be fooling myself. Maybe he was just sweating or something. But he looked so...human. So perfectly normal. Maybe these past months he has been trying to figure out his emotions. Maybe he's not concealing them any more. Yes, that must be it! But why? What would cause him to cry?*

She continued to contemplate Heero's recent display of humanity as she ambled down the hallway to the elevators. She pressed the button to go down, but decided to take the stairs instead.

*We'll have to leave for home soon, but I..._we_ can let him rest until then.*

----------------------------------------

Back in the room, Heero was toweling himself dry after his shower. The hot water felt relaxing to his sore body. The past few months had not been very kind to him. He hadn't been able to eat or sleep on a regular schedule for more than ten days at a time. As soon as he settled down, his research would lead him to something new and he would have to pick up what few things he had and move again. Eventually, he decided to just stop taking everything with him. The only things he kept with him were his laptop, some clothes, and a handful of pictures. Those he kept to remind himself why he was doing what he was doing. Now, with all of his traveling, they were beginning to look old and worn.

Some of the pictures actually made him smile. He would even laugh at some, mostly those of Duo. Catherine had snapped a shot of Hilde yanking on Duo's braid. The look on his face was priceless. She had also taken one of Sally wearing an apron, frying pan in hand, chasing Wufei down a hall. He didn't know the whole story, but it had something to do with Wufei's criticism of Sally's cooking. Of course, there were others of Quatre, Trowa, Dorothy, Catherine, Lady Une, Zechs and Noin, though never just Zechs or Noin.

There was, however, one photo in particular that was worn more than the others. It was one that Catherine had taken to enter into a photo contest. She had really done a nice job. The picture was of Relena looking back over her shoulder in a crowd of people. The background had been done in black and white, but Relena was in full color. Her ruby red shoes, brilliant yellow dress, and honey gold hair really made Heero feel something deep inside. He would stare at the picture for hours, when he could afford the time, trying to figure out more about the girl...no, the woman looking back at him. He thought it might help him to learn who he was inside, or perhaps how he could manage to live in a world of peace.

Heero sighed softly and pulled on his shirt. So far, he hadn't gotten anywhere. The only thing he knew for certain was that he would have to change. He would have to adapt to the new world he lived in. There would be no more battles to occupy his time everyday. Wufei had been dead on. As much as he hated to admit it, Heero only knew himself through fighting and war. He knew he had to change that, but he didn't know how.

Relena would certainly help him, but he was still uneasy being around her. Until he knew where his life was going, it was probably best if he kept his distance. Duo could also teach him to live life in times if peace. Neither war nor peace seemed to make any difference to the jovial pilot. Of course, Duo would make a big deal out of it and that was the last thing Heero wanted. Perhaps he would ask Trowa. Trowa was a trusted friend. He could help and wouldn't think anything of it. That would be the best thing to do.

His course of action decided, Heero collapsed on the bed and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gundam Wing. It is copyrighted by people who have a lot more money than I do. This was written for fun and for the fans of the series. All ideas concerning the storyline and new characters are mine.

NOTES: Things are getting a little more interesting, are they not? Lots of feeling and thinking here. About that picture of Relena. It's an actual picture that I have described. It's my favorite picture of her. Take a look at it by [clicking here][2]. Thanks to everyone who has been encouraging me with this. I had a bit of writers block, but thanks to StarLioness and her fanfic challenge, I was able to get things back on track for this story. Also, a special thanks to The Oracle At Delphi, aka Janai Yuy Winner. Your work is a great inspiration! So anyway, please keep reading and sending your comments...thanks!

Comments and criticisms are welcome. Please send them to **[HeeroWZero@hotmail.com][1]** and be sure to include your name so I can get back to you. Thanks for reading!

[** Part 5**][3]

[**Part 7 **][4]

   [1]: mailto:HeeroWZero@hotmail.com
   [2]: ../Images/Relena.jpg
   [3]: SoldiersReturn5.htm
   [4]: SoldiersReturn7.htm



	7. Dreams

# **Soldier's Return**

**[By HeeroWZero][1]  
**

* * *

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"Relena? It's me, Heero. I-"

"I don't want to see you."

"Relena?"

"No! Go away! Get out of here! You're nothing but al killer. I don't want to have anything to do with you."

"She's right."

"What? Trowa? Duo, you too?"

"Hey, you heard the lady. You're not welcome here."

"But...I-"

"Please, Heero. Just leave us alone."

"Quatre? What is this? Some kind of joke?"

"No joke, Yuy. We don't want you here."

"What's this about, Wufei?"

"You heard them. The don't want you around, Heero. They don't want to see you. They don't want to talk to you. They don't want to know you. You stay away from my sister and her friends. You have no respect for life."

"Hold on! They're just as guilty of killing as I am. You as well, Zechs. You especially!"

"That may be, but we don't go around killing innocent civilians and their pets."

*So that's what this is about. But how? How do they know? They can't!*

Heero's eyes widened. He spun around and ran as fast and as far as he could go. He kept running until he fell into a small stream. The water was frigid, stinging his skin, but he felt nothing. He managed to drag himself up onto dry land and sat in the long grass. His brain knew he was cold and wet, but he didn't feel it and didn't care.

* What can I do now? Where so I go and who do I turn to? Doctor J and the others are dead. I have no home, no family. Relena and the others are my only...friends. They were my last chance.*

"Are you lost?"

Heero chuckled at the thought, but didn't look up from the ground.

"Lost? Yeah, I suppose I am lost."

"I'm not lost at all. I'm taking Mary for a walk."

His head jerked up and his eyes snapped open to look at the person talking to him. Standing not two feet away was a little girl in a dress with a big hat and a little dog.

"Hi there, Heero!"

"You...you know my name? How?"

"Oh, I've known it for some time now. Years probably. Every now and then I check in on you to see if you've found your way yet."

Heero smiled ruefully.

"I'm afraid I'm no closer now than before. In truth, I'm probably farther away from finding my way."

"That's not true. I know for a fact that you are very close to finding what you want."

"And what is that?"

The little girl frowned at him.

"Well, if you don't know, I can't help you. You have to figure that out on your own."

She turned and started to walk away.

"Hey! Wait! You never told me your name."

It was no use. The girl and her dog disappeared behind a tree leaving Heero alone with his thoughts and questions.

*Who is she and what am I supposed to find?*

----------------------------------------

Heero bolted upright in the bed, tossing the covers off of his body and onto the floor. He sat for a moment, sweating and breathing heavily.

*That was bizarre. They all...they hated me. But Wufei is the only who knows about the girl and he doesn't even know the whole story. Ah, nevermind. It was a dream. It doesn't mean anything. But the girl. Who was she? I never knew her name.*

It wasn't long before his mind made the subtle connection to his surroundings. He had tossed the covers off, but he hadn't been under them in the first place; he'd just collapsed on the bed. Heero slowly looked around the room, taking in the details. It was very different from the one he had been in. The colors, furniture, and decorations made it look less like and expensive hotel room and more like...what? It felt more like a home, though just as expensive. That meant he could only be in one place, but it didn't explain how he had gotten to the Peacecraft estate.

Running a hand through his hair, Heero hauled himself out of bed and made his way to the door in the darkness. Upon opening the door he found himself in the middle of a rather long hallway without any idea about which way to go. It seemed equally promising both ways. He jammed his hands into his pockets and started to the left. Hearing faint laughter behind him, he turned and headed in the opposite direction. He soon found a set of curving stairs. Walking down slowly, he decided he was probably at the main entrance. The floor under his feet was white marble and impeccably polished. The walls to his left had a few mirrors and pictures hanging here and there while to his right was an average sized room with a sofa and a few overstuffed chairs, probably used for receiving guests. In front of him, under a large archway, were what he thought were the main doors.

He followed the soft voices down the hall and, after passing a few empty rooms, came to the open doors of the dining room. Inside were Zechs, Relena, and the other pilots accompanied by Hilde, Catherine, Dorothy, Sally, Noin, and Lady Une. Heero knocked softly on the door frame to get their attention.

"Hey there, buddy boy! Come on in and have some eats."

*Why the hell is Duo always so damn cheerful?*

Heero walked in silently and took a seat between Lady Une and Catherine.

"So did you get enough sleep? Seems the last time I saw you was when Trowa and I were taking care of you. You certainly got a lot of sleep then."

"Yeah, I guess so. How'd I get here?"

"Well, when they couldn't wake you, Zechs and my brother just carried you."

He thought that's what had happened. He was just glad it hadn't been Duo. At least with Zechs and Trowa he wouldn't have to worry about getting any bruises from being dropped.

After finishing his meal, pausing every now and then to answer a question or two, Lady Une asked Heero the question he'd been expecting since he had plotted his atmosphere reentry course.

"I don't mean to be a downer to our little reunion here, but...this isn't coincidence is it? I mean, first there are rumors of a new militaristic faction and then you show up in a new model mobile suit. I get the feeling that they are not two separate events...am I right?"

Heero drew in a breath, nodded, and stood up.

"Let me go get my things and I'll give you all the details."

He looked over at Zechs.

"Have you got a room with a projector in this place of yours?"

"There's a small breifing room with a projector setup, yes."

"We should do this there then. I have some visuals that you really need to see for yourself."

* * *

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gundam Wing. It is copyrighted by people who have a lot more money than I do. This was written for fun and for the fans of the series. All ideas concerning the storyline and new characters are mine.

NOTES: 

Comments and criticisms are welcome. Please send them to **[HeeroWZero@hotmail.com][1]** and be sure to include your name so I can get back to you. Thanks for reading!

[** Part 6**][2]

[**Part 8 **][3]

   [1]: mailto:HeeroWZero@hotmail.com
   [2]: SoldiersReturn6.htm
   [3]: SoldiersReturn8.htm



	8. Brainstorm

# **Soldier's Return**

**[By HeeroWZero][1]  
**

* * *

Once Heero retrieved the materials he needed, the group followed Zechs to a small, dimly lit room on the first floor of the mansion. In contrast to the decor of the other rooms, the room in which Heero and the others stood was ver modern and high-tech. In the center of the small room was a large, black table. The only light came from the single rectangular fixture that hung low and reflected off of the glossy tabletop. At one end of the long table, built into the wall, was a large viewscreen.

While his comrades busied themselves getting seated around the table, Heero set up his laptop at the screen end and connected it to the infrared projector link. The computer booted quickly and Heero opened his presentation materials. A logo appeared on the screen as Heero strapped his laptop command module to his wrist, grabbed a laser pointer, and stood next to the screen. Once everyone was settled, he began.

"Our latest threat calls themselves Thor's Hammer. Their leader is this man."

Heero tapped the wrist module and brought up the picture of a man in his mid- to late-forties. His thinning hair was slightly gray and he had a small moustache under his prominent nose.

"His name, oddly enough, is General Reginald Thor. With the Alliance he made it to Lieutenant Colonel and moved up to Colonel when he joined with OZ and then the Romefeller Foundation. He didn't join the World Nation Forces because of his hatred of Treize Khushrenada; Thor disagreed with him on almost everything. And where the White Fang's idea was to eliminate the Earth, Thor's is the reverse. He and his followers believe the colonies are and will be the only source of conflict in the Earth Sphere. Their purpose is to eradicate the colonies."

Duo raised his hand but didn't wait for a response from Heero.

"And can they do that?"

"Right now, no, they can't. In a few weeks time? Almost definitely."

Heero typed something into the command module and skipped to a display of the map of the colonies. The Earth and moon were made obvious while between them were numerous white dots and several red dots that more or less formed a perimeter around the L1 cluster with several toward the center of the plot.

"This map represents the major colonies and resource satellites in the L clusters. As you can see by the layout of these red markers, Thor's forces already have the L1 colonies surrounded and the battle hasn't even started yet. If Thor gets his way, the people of the colonies will have nowhere to run when the fighting does start. It seems he will start at L1 and work his way over to L5 destroying things as he goes."

"Hang on a sec, Heero. You said this guy wants to pick a fight in space and get rid of all the colonies. If he hates them so much, why is using them as his bases?"

Heero looked at Duo, who was genuinely puzzled. What was obvious to Heero was apparently not so to everyone else.

"Thor is a tactical genius. Think back to the end of the war. Treize had to move all of his resources to MO-2 to carry out an effective battle strategy. Thor doesn't. He already has his supply chain and refueling points set up close to what would be the battlefield. His troops can strike hard and fast while staying rested and ready. Thor doesn't hate the colonies enough to give up that kind of advantage."

"I see. And what of those forces? What are their numbers?"

To answer Wufei's question, Heero flipped to another display that listed many different sets of numbers.

"I wasn't able to get a complete or accurate count. By my estimates, they probably number anywhere from five to ten percent more than those that followed Dekim Barton and Mariemaia. As far as mobile suits are concerned, they have some of everything. Their largest force consists of Tauruses, both manned and mobile doll variants. They also have manned space Leos, Virgo and Virgo II mobile dolls, and this new model.

The display changed to show a schematic diagram of the mobile suit Heero had arrived in.

"They call it the Orion. It's basically a Serpent, probably built on the shells salvaged at Brussels. It has similar control response and firepower. The other components have also been salvaged from the debris floating around in space. There is evidence of Virgo technology everywhere and from what I can tell, the cockpit has a similar feel to our Gundams, probably taken from whatever remains of the Mercurius and the Vayeate. It handles about dead on with what I remember of the Mercurius. As far as armaments, the Orion carries either a beam cannon or a beam rifle, sixteen missiles, and two small machine cannons. There are no planet defensors as the Virgo dolls had, but the shield system is similar. It is not as powerful, but it covers the entire suit like a second skin."

"Is it a big threat?"

"In the hands of a good pilot, and they do have some, it could be an obstacle. Of course, now that I know the Gundams are still around, it shouldn't be too big a problem."

Wufei sat back, satisfied with Heero's answers, but Quatre raised an important question.

"What are their monitoring capabilities? Will we be able to get in close to them without being detected?"

"More than likely we should have no problem. The fact that Gundanium can't be detected by radar works to our advantage. Even in the case of the Tallgeese and Taurus there are those ECMs, am I right?"

Zechs gave Heero a confirming nod. He silently thanked Howard for being insistent about the jamming devices.

"I also managed to destroy a couple of their bases in the process of acquiring the new suit, so there are a few holes we can get in and out of easily. The real problem lies in our ability to destroy their bases before they can alert their comrades and begin an assault on the colonies. If we all attack in one area, that leaves other areas vulnerable. The only way we will be able to pull this off is to split into pairs and attack four sides at once."

Lady Une felt the need to point out the obvious.

"But Heero, there are only seven of you. With that plan, someone would end up on their own."

Heero turned off the projector and walked back over to his laptop.

"I'll be fine. I'll go alone."

Sally shot up from her chair and leaned over the table, pounding her fists into the hard surface.

"That's nuts, Heero! Even with your Gundam there's no way you'd be able to survive all those battles!"

Heero closed the laptop and looked down the table at Sally's hard expression.

"There's no other way."

"Sure there is. I can back you up in the cruiser."

"No!"

The show of emotion caught Sally off guard. Heero was getting angry, his speech coming quickly and harshly.

"The cruiser is to slow to keep up. You'll be dead in a matter of minutes and I'll still be on my own."

"Oh come on! Noin and I managed to got out alive after helping you and Duo get into X-18999, didn't we?"

*Shit. I'd hoped she would have forgotten that.*

"It takes two people to run the cruiser. More if you want to be effective in battle. There's no one else to go."

Sally looked defeated until Lady Une spoke up.

"I'll go with Sally. We can run a sort of mobile command center."

Hilde also chimed in with her offer of help as did Dorothy. Now it was time for Duo and Quatre to object.

"Oh no you don't! Sorry, Hilde, but you're not goin' this time."

"Put a sock in it, Duo. Like you could stop me anyway."

Hilde yanked on Duo's braid for effect.

"Wh-what...why do you want to go Dorothy? It's too dangerous."

"Oh, so you can risk your life, but I can't? Just remember, I was a Preventer before you were. Besides, I can help watch out for you and the others."

*Why the hell are they all so eager to die?!*

Heero decided there was no point to fighting this battle.

"Fine. Do what you want, but don't expect any help from me."

On that note, everyone stood from their chairs and left quietly while Heero packed up the rest of his things. They knew he was angry. If there was one emotion he had no trouble at all in showing, it was anger. Duo stopped in the doorway on his way out and turned back to his friend.

"Ya know, Heero, I'm exactly all that happy with the way that just turned out either. I know it's not the easiest thing in the world for you to do, but you could have been a little nicer. The war is over. There's no more need to be the perfect soldier anymore. Oh sure, there's still these little battles to take care of, but if you keep this up...I can't help but think that you'll end up on the wrong end of the fight some day. For crying out loud, man! We're your friends. We can help if you'll let us. All you need to do is ask."

Duo received only a curt nod and a grunt in reply. He sighed and hung his head slightly.

"Just pull it together before you lose it."

Duo spun on his heel and walked out leaving Heero alone in an all too familiar silence.

*Damn. He's right. I'm going to end up relying on them at some point. I will need their help and pissing them off isn't going to do them or me any good. Then again, I don't know how else to live. I don't know how to nice or friendly or whatever it is they want me to be. I've never had to before. Damn it. Where's Trowa?*

Idly, Heero wondered if Zechs had a firing range somewhere. He felt like putting a bullet in something.

* * *

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gundam Wing. It is copyrighted by people who have a lot more money than I do. This was written for fun and for the fans of the series. All ideas concerning the storyline and new characters are mine.

NOTES: Boy, took long enough, huh? Well, thanks to everyone who has been on my case to get this done. I was going to post another part of this as well, but I decided to change the story a bit and now I have to go revise the next part. Oh well. Such is the life of a writer. Should be done soon though. Gimmie a week or two and I'll start spouting chapters like there's no tomorrow! Getting back to the fic...one of these days I may get around to doing a sketch of this Orion I have created. For now, think Serpent. Think ugly. Think ugly (uglier?) Serpent. Also, for those confused about the Duo/Hilde and Quatre/Dorothy conversations. I decided to do this really nifty thing. I'm going to write four small fics about the pilots, other than Heero. Kind of like about what they were doing before we got to this point time. I'm not to sure about what to do with Trowa and Catherine, but I have a good idea what the Duo and Hilde one will be as well as the Wufei and Sally, which I plan to kind of base off of a song. The Quatre/Dorothy is already done. It's called _Dangerous Game_ and should be posted in a couple places. If you're reading this fic, _Dangerous Game_ should be in the same place. Well, that's it for now. Back to work for me...

Comments and criticisms are welcome. Please send them to **[HeeroWZero@hotmail.com][1]** and be sure to include your name so I can get back to you. Thanks for reading!

   [1]: mailto:HeeroWZero@hotmail.com



	9. Human

Soldier's Return by HeeroWZero **Soldier's Return**

**[By HeeroWZero][1]  
**

Trowa turned his head from the conversation he was having with his sister when he heard a knock at his door.

"Come in."

Heero stepped through the doorwas, but stopped when he saw Catherine.

"Oh. Sorry. Didn't know you were busy. I'll come back later."

He turned to leave, but was called back.

"No, it's fine. Come on in."

*Well, I wanted to talk to just Trowa, but I guess it wouldn't hurt if Catherine stayed as well. She's certainly not unfriendly.*

Heero came back into the room and closed the door behind himself.

"I need to talk to someone I can trust."

Catherine stood from her chair.

"Oops. Gundam pilot stuff. I think I'd better leave you guys alone."

She started for the door, but Heero caught her gently by the elbow as she passed.

"If you don't mind, I think it would help if you...stayed."

Catherine smiled, shrugged, and sat back down. Trowa gestured to chair near Catherine's.

"Have a seat. What's on your mind?"

Well, I'm not sure how to put it. Ever since I can remember I've never fit in with other people. My lack of personality and emotion has always made me an outsider, a loner. It was never a problem before now. I was always on my own fighting anyway. Now that we live in a world devoid of war and no need for warriors, it's become increasingly harder for me to live from day to day.

"I see. So you need some advice on how to be more..."

"Human?"

As soon as Catherine said the word she wished she hadn't. She clamped her hands over her mouth as her cheeks turned bright pink.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean that. I meant...um..."

"No, it's fine. But that's exactly what I need. I couldn't think of anyone else to go to. Doctor J literally trained the humanity out of me. I need it back. You were there, you saw what happened earlier. I don't want to repeat that."

"No need to worry about that now. What's done is done, but you can always apologize later if you feel the need. I'm sure they know you were just concerned for their safety. But what you really need to do is learn to relax. You seem to live your life on a schedule or according to someone else's plans. Make decisions as they are put to you. Do what your heart an mind tell you to do. When you're uptight you tend not to make the right decisions all the time. Try to let go and handle things as they come."

As Heero pondered Trowa's advice, Catherine chimed in with her own thoughts on the matter.

"Another thing you need to do is be more trusting of people. I hope you don't mind my saying so, but it seems like you always see help from others as more of a hindrance or a distraction. Any relationship starts with trust. Maybe trusting someone to listen when you need to talk, to tell you how they feel about something when you need an honest opinion, to do the right thing, or be there when you need a hand. Once you stop doubting people it'll be easier to accept things and be more open."

They talked and talked and talked some more. After two hours of chatting back and forth, Catherine and Trowa knew more about Heero than anyone else could claim to. Heero related nearly his entire life story to them because they were so easy to talk to. He had been apprehensive of mentioning the girl and her dog for fear of what they might say. Catherine managed to drag it out and, to his surprize, they understood how he felt about it. They didn't hate him, they didn't think any less of him, and they understood why he never talked about it.

Heero stood and extended a hand to Trowa.

"Thank you, Trowa. And you, Catherine. You've been a great help. I only hope I can use what I've learned from you. I know it won't be easy, but I'm willing to try."

"Well, you know where to find us if you have any trouble. And we're not the only ones who can help, you know."

Heero nodded.

"Wait a minute! I thought we made some progress here. What's with the nod?"

He laughed openly at Catherine's observation and smiled thankfully, genuinely at her.

"Thank you."

"That's much better. You're welcome."

Trowa got to his feet and put a hand on Heero's shoulder.

"Remember, it's going to take time to adjust and learn to deal with your emotions. Don't try to change everything all at one time. It's not something that can be done that quickly. Just take your time and work it out one piece at a time."

"I will. Again...thank you."

With one last smile Heero left the room. Catherine stood behind her brother, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Do you think he can do it?"

"Yes. I think he can. It took a lot for him to even ask for our help. He's well on his way."

"I hope you're right. It would be such a shame for such a nice guy to have to keep living like that."

---------------------------------------------

"Zechs?"

Heero stuck his head through the half open door to Zechs' study, which doubled as a second office when he needed it. Floor to ceiling bookcases lined the walls as well as several landscape paintings. Situated under the large window looking out over the wooded area at the back of the estate was a highly polished oak desk. Zechs sat behind it holding a pen in one hand and pressing that phone to his ear with the other. He saw Heero standing at the door and waved him as as his conversation came to a close.

"Tomorrow afternoon than? Excellent! I'm looking forward to seeing you again. Take care and we'll see you tomorrow."

Zechs hung up the phone and scribbled a note on he pad of paper in front of him. He looked up at Heero when he was finished, a slight grin on his face.

"Heero. Just the man I needed to see. Please, have a seat."

Heero settled into the chair in front of the desk. Zechs laced his fingers together and sat forward in his own chair.

"That was our old friend Howard. He's going to be coming by tomorrow to install some new communications jamming systems for our little operation. Coupled with the cloaking devices he's already installed, the enemy won't know what to do. That should make our job easier to some degree."

"I see. So the idea is to disable their communications so that they can't warn the others of the attack?"

"Exactly right. Add to that the fact that they won't be able to see us coming on their radar system...it's one less thing to worry about."

"Sounds good. How much time will be needed to get the systems running?"

"He says it's pretty straight forward for a decent engineer to work with. I figure once he demonstrates how to go about installing it Maiser and the others can get started on all the suits at once. It should take no more than a day and a half, two days tops. The Tallgeese and Taurus will probably take a bit longer than normal because their systems differ slightly from your Gundams."

"Good. I think that the end of the week should be the latest date for us to begin. Any longer than that and they may be able to overwhelm us with sheer numbers."

"You have a point. Every day we take to prepare also gives them time to strengthen themselves. We'll shoot for the end of the week then. We'll get the new systems installed and make sure everything is in working order. If we can, we'll go earlier. Agreed?"

Heero nodded in consent and Zechs reclined in his leather chair.

"Alright. Now that we cleared that up, what is is that you came to see me for?"

"I was...just wondering if you knew where Sally and Lady Une are."

"I think they went out to headquarters to start getting the cruiser ready. Why do you ask?

"I need to...apologize. I shouldn't have been so rude earlier."

Zechs nearly fell out of his chair in shock. He had never figured Heero the type to regret an action or to apologize for one.

"Well you can...uh...probably catch up with them...tomorrow."

"Yeah, I'll do that. Thanks."

Heero stood to leave, but Zechs had a thought come up from the back of his mind.

"Speaking of tomorrow...you'll probably come across a few people at headquarters who will be less than friendly. There were some rumors going around that you were the cause of this recent...well, you know. You'll probably get more than your fair share of dirty looks. I just wanted to let you know what to expect before you find out the hard way."

"I understand. Thanks for the heads up."

Heero left without another word. It was getting late and he was tired, so he went upstairs to his room to get some more sleep. Zechs was feeling a bit sleepy as well and followed Heero's example after cleaning the mess of papers on his desk. As he walked up the stairs he thought about the changes he had seen in Heero. Amuzed by what he thought, Zechs closed the bedroom door, ready for some much needed rest.

---------------------------------------------

"You again."

"Hi, Heero!"

The little girl in the big, floppy hat bounded toward him from behind the tree where she had disappeared the last time Heero saw her. He looked around and found himself sitting in the same place as before. The girl skipped around him twice before sitting beside him.

"What's your name? I keep seeing you but I don't know who you are."

"Me? I'm Megan Lowe."

"Hmmm...Megan Lowe. So, am I dreaming? What is this place?"

Megan put a finger on her chin and struck a thoughtful pose.

"Well, I guess it's kind of like a dream. It's really hard to explain, but you _are_ asleep if that helps."

Megan took her hat off and placed it on top of Heero's unruly hair. She fell to the ground laughing hysterically and holding her sides.

"You look silly, Heero!"

Heero glaced up at the offending hat and frowned an almost imperceptible frown.

"You know, you're awful cheery and happy around me, considering I was responsible for your death."

Megan stopped laughing, sat up, and made a pouting face at him.

"Are you still worried about all that? Just forget about it. It was an accident. You didn't mean for it to happen. I don't hate you for it, so why do you hate yourself?"

"You...really don't hate me?"

"Of course not! Besides, I've had fun watching over your shoulder since then."

At that, Heero actually grinned.

"Oh, so I amuse you do I?"

"Yup. The last two or three years have been really fun. You've been tripping all over yourself on the inside."

"I guess I have been, haven't I?"

"Yeah. You worry too much. It's fine and dandy to worry. Just make sure you worry about the right things."

"Like what?"

"Like Relena. You should worry about Relena and Duo and Quatre and all your other friends too. But mostly Relena."

"Why worry about Relena?"

"He-lllloooo...this is reality calling Heero. In case you hadn't noticed, Relena kinda has a thing for you."

"A thing?"

"Ugh. Do I have to spell it out for you? Re...le...na...likes...you. She likes you, she loves you, she thinks about you constantly."

"Oh. That."

"Yes that! Ooooo, Heero Yuy...if you break her heart I'll....I'll...."

"You'll what?"

"I'll....tickle you!"

"With that, Megan attacked his ribs. Whenever Heero pushed her away she would always come back at him. Soon, both of them were tickling and laughing. When they finally stopped, both Heero and Megan fell sprawled on the grass to catch their breath. Heero could feel himself smiling and it felt good. He let out an unabashed laugh like he had years before. Megan looked over at him and smiled.

"It's good to hear you laugh like that again. You've been holding that in for far too long."

Heero looked up at the sky of his dream. Instead of the artificial clouds and scenery of a colony, he saw deep blue dotted by many bright, twinkling stars. He had seen such a sky once before, on Earth. It was one of his few good memories from the war. Most of the others involved a certain golden-haired female who was just as stubborn as himself. A slight smile crept across his lips at the thought.

"You're thinking about her right now, aren't you?"

Heero quickly shook his head clear.

"What do you mean? Who?"

"Oh come on! I saw you smiling. There is only one thing that that can make you smile like that and her name is Relena."

As much as he tried to hide it, Heero just stared at Megan with a dumbfounded expression. She gave him a sly grin and stood up.

"Oh, don't look so surprised. I've been an expert on Heero Yuy for years."

She got only a small smile in return, but she hadn't really expected more than that. After all, she was a Heero expert. The smile disappeared as Heero became more thoughtful.

"Last time you said I was close to what I'm looking for. What is it? What am I close to?"

"Can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"First, you need to find it on your own. Second, we're out of time."

"Out of time?"

"Yup. You're gonna wake up soon."

"Oh. Well, will I see you again?"

"Of course, silly! I'm sort of like your guardian angel. I'll always be around. But now I have to go. See you later!"

Megan waved and began to walk away. A short distance away, she stopped and ran back.

"Um, Heero?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I have my hat back?"

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gundam Wing. It is copyrighted by people who have a lot more money than I do. This was written for fun and for the fans of the series. All ideas concerning the storyline and new characters are mine.

NOTES: Well, that certainly took long enough, didn't it? I put the story aside some time ago when I was having trouble with it. Then I got busy with other things and just about forgot about it. But thanks to many people, I picked it up again and finally churned this out. It was originally going to be two chapters, but I decided they were short enough to condense into one.

I keep mentioning "the little girl". If you need a reminder, she the one from Heero's dream in _Endless Waltz_. She doesn't have a name, as far as I know, so I made one up from the names of my two biggest camps of encouragement: Megan the Tigriffon and Lady Lowe. So that's about it for now. Next time we'll have Heero at Preventer HQ meeting up with Michaelson and probably the start of the operation to take out Thor and his followers. I've taken what I had before and twisted it around a little so there are some interesting turns.

By the way, if you're not reading this at my website, I ask that you go and check it out. Lots of people have been emailing me asking me to continue _Protector_ and do other stuff. Well, I have and it's all at my website. I've got a couple of other great stories my Megan the Tigriffon as well. "Where can I find this great site," you ask? Well, just point your browser to the following:

**[http://www.geocities.com/HeeroWZero/][2]**

Comments and criticisms are welcome. Please send them to **[HeeroWZero@hotmail.com][1]** and be sure to include your name so I can get back to you. Thanks for reading!

[** Part 8**][3]

   [1]: mailto:HeeroWZero@hotmail.com
   [2]: http://www.geocities.com/HeeroWZero/
   [3]: SoldiersReturn08.htm



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